Fatty Tuesday: Vietnamese Food

Food wasn't the only reason why we chose to travel to Vietnam, but it was a big motivator. We were excited to try pho and banh mis from the source. Come to find out, good Vietnamese food is hard to come by in Vietnam.

Our first dinner in Saigon was a Lonely Planet "top choice." It was more so "meh," so much so that I couldn't tell you what we ordered 'cause I can't remember what we ate. The next day, we tried pho at a local hotspot (literally) aptly named Pho Hoa. In 90-degree heat and 75-percent humidity, I couldn't bring myself to take down a hot bowl of steaming beef noodle soup. Not surprisingly, Mike took one for the team and I got to try some of his. The broth was delicious; I could have held the bowl to my mouth and drank the whole thing myself, even in the heat and humidity.

The food tour on night two was the highlight of our foodie adventures. Tiger Tours took us first to a make-your-own-summer-rolls joint where we wrapped grilled pieces of marinated pork and beef in rice paper, adding lettuce, fresh herbs, and pickled veggies. This was our favorite. The second stop required a more open mind: besides grilled shrimp, we sampled goat udder and crocodile curry. Goat udder? Chewy and not a favorite. Crocodile? Also chewy and similar to (you guessed it) chicken. The third restaurant specialized in seafood: the chili crab and the small, delicate scallops were the most memorable of our dishes there. We ended on a sweet note with a simple flan for me and a coconut-mango combination for Mike.

Summer rolls; goat udder and okra; chili crab; crocodile curry

Once we got to Hanoi, we made it our mission to find a banh mi since we hadn't had one up to that point in the trip. We tried several and grew more disappointed after every one. Slices of gelatinous meat and pâté replaced the grilled pork and pickled vegetables we had been expecting. We all agreed: we couldn't wait to get home to get ourselves a good banh mi.

Our one dinner in Hanoi slightly made up for our food losses. Madame Hien served up a foie gras pho that won't likely be forgotten. But overall, I have to say, we weren't too impressed with what we ate. Perhaps expectations were set too high. Perhaps we just didn't know where to go.